Thursday, August 26, 2004 |

Breema & Big Mind

It seems that Breema and Big Mind are powerful complements to each other. Both opens up for an experience of no separation and transduality, Breema through bodywork and Big Mind through voice dialogue. Breema grounds it. Big Mind clarifies the view.

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Do it for Yourself

One of the Breema principles (not among the nine) is "Do it for yourself". It is a revolutionary principle in our culture, and yet a very simple and obvious one.

When I do it for myself (whatever I am doing), and also realize that there is no separation, I and the larger whole benefits.

When I do bodywork and do it for myself (for my own enjoyment and benefit), and experience no separation, the other person also benefits more. I am more relaxed, more comfortable, more present.

Whatever I do in my life, I can move in the direction of doing it more for myself.

In NVC, there is a very similar principle: Want what you do and do what you want. And a process to clarify this: (a) Make a list of the top ten things you least enjoy doing. (b) Write down your usual internal statement of the activity ("I have to ... because ..."). (c) Rephrase it as a "choose" statement ("I choose to ... because ...") and look at which needs the activity meets and do not meet. This process will usually lead to one of three changes: 1. I realize that the activity does not meet my needs and I stop doing it. 2. I change the way I am doing it so my needs are better met. 3. I change my attitude towards the activity because I realize it does meet my needs. And again, my needs are not separate from those of others or the rest of the world.

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Direction (not perfection)

Exploring the Breema principles through bodywork and in the rest of my life, I am more and more appreciating the wisdom of direction, not perfection. Right now, I can become a little more comfortable. I can move towards single moment, single activity. I can do it a little more for myself. There is only the process, no end point.

Monday, August 16, 2004 |

Long Perspective

I saw Artificial Intelligence last night, and while the movie as a whole was disappointing (artificial and stilted dialogue, flat and uninteresting characters, poorly developed storyline), there was one aspect that made it worth watching: The long perspective.

It is a good reminder to see the ending of the movie taking place after humans (and presumably Earthly life) is gone. Everything is transient.

In a few decades, I and every single person in my life, will be gone. In a few hundred years, every memory of most people alive now will be gone. In a few thousand years, the human culture - if still in existence - will be beyond recognition. Furter into the future (a few billion years), the Earth and all beings part of it will be gone. A few more billion years, and this Universe will be gone.

For me, this is a liberating perspective. I do not need to live my life to impress or follow the expectations of others or myself. I can live my life for myself.

Friday, August 13, 2004 |

Breema & Addictions

Among the many possible research projects involving Breema, it would be interesting to see it's effect on addictions.

Breema...

1. Softens (decrystallize) habits and make them easier to deal with. It opens up for more conscious choice.
2. Fills many deep and universal human needs, including connection, acceptance and peak/blissful experiences. Many addictions are (failed) strategies to meet those same needs.

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Two Cultures

The Norwegian culture and society are socially progressive, relatively open minded and well informed (thanks to a decent quality media). They tend to seek solutions that benefits society as a whole as much as the individuals (universal healthcare and free education at all levels are just two examples). Still, the small size of the population - and maybe a different conservatism - means that those interested in unusual topics are very few and create small (or no) communities. There may also be a conservatism in typical choice of life path.

In the US, the culture as a whole is far more conservative, and many tends to be less well informed (due to corporate media). They tend to perceive (or create the perception of) a conflict between solutions good for society as a whole and for individuals. But the large size of the population allows for subgroups of people with similar interests to gather and explore new paths, to a far larger extent than what I have seen in Norway. Since I have non-typical interests (e.g. permaculture, Zen, Breema, NVC, holistic health, etc), it is far easier for me to explore them here, in a community of likeminded people.

Sunday, August 08, 2004 |

Prophet and Followers

It is common for prophets, in any area, to be followed by some who follow in name but not in substance.

Jesus, one who appeared to have experienced and expressed full enlightenment, is no exception. There are many genuine followers, those who follow from heart, wisdon and compassion (and even some who follow in their non-dual experience). And there are some who follow in name, but not life (who are in the grips of judgement, a closed heart, fear).

The path of Jesus was one of deep humanity, of inclusiveness, of wisdom and compassion born from a realization that we are all human. He spent his life with the outcasts of society (robbers, prostitute, lepars) as well as any others. And he did this from a trans-dual experience of the world.

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Beyond Right & Wrong

There are no "right" or "wrong" actions. Only actions and their consequences. And these consequences may be perceived as desireable or undesireable (depending on our situation and perspective).

When we use "shoulds" we speak from value judgements and an (implicit or explicit, consious or subconsious) ideology. We have an attachment, which is often unconsious and leaves little choice.

When we use causality (action X may lead to action Y), there is more precision, consiousness and choice. It leads to simplicity and often more pleasant interactions.